


this feeble reality of ours

by fungifaeries



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Angst, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:07:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27906481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fungifaeries/pseuds/fungifaeries
Relationships: Akamatsu Kaede/Shirogane Tsumugi
Kudos: 8





	this feeble reality of ours

"I know that I hurt you ; I know that nothing I can say will change the past, but... I'm hoping that you'll forgive me in the end. I'm hoping that I can make this alright, Kaede." The words felt hollow, despairingly so, when they left Tsumugi's lips, and as she hugged herself she could hardly stop herself from letting go of reality, hanging onto it by a thread. The look on Kaede's face shook her fragile mind to the very core : the uncertainty, disgust, and disdain was too much for the girl to handle.

It was about a week after the killing game participants had been released from their virtual world, and they'd all been slowly going through therapeutic processes to help cope with the traumatic events they faced inside Danganronpa. At this point, Tsumugi was dead to it all right now ; she knew her target wasn't her real self yet, but, one last time, she had to talk to Kaede Akamatsu...

So here Tsumugi stood, eyes stinging as Kaede stared with an unreadable expression at her, like a deer frozen in headlights. How would she react? The cosplayer knew better than anyone else the monstrosity that were her the deeds she committed to her... friends. Yes, they were her friends, and she still hurt them, forced them into manslaughter.

Tsumugi truly did like Kaede, she just reminded her so much of her self in the 52nd killing game, and she wondered if the previous mastermind felt this way. So allured by a fictional representation, actually catching feelings...? It was ridiculous, she was a failure, but in a way, she didn't really mind. She thought she would enjoy despair just as much as she enjoyed the hope in her first killing game, but she'd never expected the vast difference of the two.

They really did overhype the despair that Junko enjoyed so much, the only time Tsumugi truly understood the bliss was when... she framed Kaede for murder. It was short overwhelming, and everything just felt empty afterwards, but the bespectacled girl's experience was the closest thing she could relate to what Enoshima apparently felt everyday.

Was it really worth it though? After Kaede was gone, the rest of the game for Tsumugi was pretty much ruined, like all the color had been drained out of it. Did Junko feel this way when she killed her own sister, Mukuro? Maybe that was why she was so eager to perish at the end, and Shirogane had to admit it only brought a bit of reconciliation by the idea of comparing her own experience to the despair goddess herself.

Still, now Tsumugi was stuck constantly yearning for Kaede, and this was her last chance ; her last chance to steal a way a bit of peace in this sea of regret, to get rid of at least a bit of all this emotion that was weighing down her heart, all because of that one, kind-hearted heroine who had her fate unrightfully ripped away from her.

Now here she was, being a disgrace to the long line of masterminds that came before her, as she prepared to beg for forgiveness from the victim by her own hands. Her hands were trembling, knees weak, and brow glistening with sweat as she watched Kaede shift uncomfortably to the right, and she thought she could almost hear the blonde give a nervous gulp.

"T-Tsumugi, so you were the mastermind." Kaede finally spluttered out, face still a painful mask, and Tsumugi winced at the disappointed tone that came from the former. Stiffly, she nodded and hugged herself tighter, heart racing painfully in her chest as any words she had got caught up in her throat. The pianist inhaled shakily and her lavender eyes could barely focus on the originally trusted friend in front of her, who she had spent time with, bonded with, and now had been betrayed by.

Kaede opened her mouth to speak, but Tsumugi's best try at a calm demeanor cracked, and she dropped to her knees, clutching at the other girl's skirt. She couldn't do this, all she wanted was... all she wanted was her. She was infatuated with Akamatsu, had actually developed admiration and feelings for the blonde in the short time they had spent together. Now, whether she was forgiven or not, the object of her affection would slowly deteriorate before her very own star struck eyes.

"I know, I know, I-I-I'm a monster, but I regret it so much. It wasn't the same when I was the mastermind people were uniting against, and when you were gone, I... I..." Tsumugi had tears streaming down her eyes, her body shaking violently with sobs that cut off anything else she was trying to say. "I don't want, despair, I don't want hope, I w-want, I want... I want you!!"

"Shh, hey... hey it's okay!!" Tsumugi's heart leapt to her throat as Kaede's soft voice began to comfort her, and she felt the other girl's arms wrap around her, drawing circles on her back.

Kaede felt used, disgusted, but... she knew that in a way, she really had killed Rantaro. It was her plan, her bloodlust, and Tsumugi only took advantage of that. Nothing would've happened if she had just trusted her friends instead of taking everything onto herself. Looking at the pathetic, despairing cosplayer in front of her now, even if it was just programmed into her, the pianist just didn't have it in her not to forgive Shirogane.

Maybe Kaede was hopeless after all, but... at least she and Tsumugi could be hopeless together.


End file.
